The Frog, the Scorpion and the Light
Gabriel had always looked out for his Cat. Since she was a little girl, when he first met her, he kept an eye on her. First it was to make sure she was safe from all the normal perils of the world. Then later it was from all the things that she had yet to discover about what lived in the shadows and ended up training her in the things that made her into the beautiful and deadly creature of today. Even when they were separated for a time, he still kept an eye out for her. Then he died.
He had no regrets when he gave her time to get away from Lucifer. It was the one great thing he did for her though probably the dumbest thing. He didn't get a chance to tell her what he had done to her so long ago because he knew how powerful, what she truly was. Then he unbound it and since then… He regretted not being able to see it in its development but he knew that she was in good hands especially with her husband and mate, Sam Winchester. He never expected that she would bring him back.
Bringing him back was not what anyone expected. She got saddled with a boy angel on the cusp of puberty, in human years. It certainly made things tough especially when Sam and Dean were fighting over the Purgatory thing. It got easier when they got the bunker and torture when the Librarian Sherlock moved in. In the end though, they all got along; they were family. And it expanded when Jack entered the picture.
Gabriel was excited when Jack came to live with them. He didn't care that his was Lucifer's kid. Maybe it was the adolescence in him being excited for getting a partner in crime. He figured that it was because he had lived with his Cat and the Winchesters for as long as he had that he became accepting of the differences. Hell he was the biggest supporter of Sam and Angela's union. In any case, he knew that Jack made a big difference on his Cat and was a part of the family and the day he left…
Gabriel knew his Cat well. She kept up the being strong for the sake of the family, especially since little Jess had been screaming her lungs out from the power burst and probably sensing all the hurt and pain from everyone. He could tell his Cat was sad and that she tried not to get her hopes up when the boys discovered a chance at finding Jack. She actually got angry that they considered playing along with a demon. Pot calling the kettle black moment but he figured it was because it involved being a dealing devil that she got up in arms about it.
She didn't agree with their choice. But she stood by them. Gabriel even heard her admit to Sam that she had hope that they would find Jack. It was one of the few moments he saw of them holding each other in the hall. For her sake, Gabriel had hoped that they would be able to make it so that they weren't dealing with a devil and get what they needed to find Jack.
He offered to go but Sam and Dean weren't biting. It wasn't that they didn't trust him. Sam trusted him with his baby's life. He got it. Because he still was his Cat's guardian and he looked after little Jess. He didn't have any hard feelings at being left behind. He would keep an eye on things and he did.
It was quiet when the boys came back. At least quiet enough to hear them enter. Gabriel was certain Angela did but she was content siting in her chair, holding her and that was when she decided on telling a story. Again it had to be the adolescence in him that had him eager for her story that he literally sat at her feet, not minding being surrounded by the dogs that were there. Then again, she had a gift of storytelling and the tale she was telling was familiar.
"Once there was a mysterious and beautiful lady who traveled the land helping people along with two brave knights that were brothers."
Those two as knights? Seriously? Gabriel resisted snorting since he was getting a look from Angela. He was an archangel and a badass in his day but she was scary and no one thought to cross her. He straightened up and looked at her.
Angela continued, "The lady and the knights travelled together helping people from all those that needed help from the monsters of the land and they eventually ended up with company that became dear friends."
Jess cooed and Gabriel was distracted by it. He recognized it as her happy coo. It meant one of two things: she was enjoying her mother's story even though she was too young to understand it, or her father and uncle were home and she was happy that both her parents were there. Gabriel was certain it was the latter since he heard the click of dog claws and he sensed Sam's presence in the bunker. Jess wriggled but was attentive to her mother as Angela hummed a chuckle.
It wasn't long before Angela continued her tale, "The company that followed the knights and the lady were of different people, the kind most people were afraid off, including the knights, but only because they didn't understand them at first. The new members of the company wanted to help though and they tried their best, but one made a mistake and it made him sad. So sad that he felt he had to leave the company."
Gabriel felt his throat constrict. There was a reason why Angela was telling this story. He wouldn't put it past her to tell it because it was on everyone's mind. There were methods to her madness. He would know. He taught her that.
"For days the missing member, a young boy, was out in the world alone, trying to understand his mistake. It caused sadness for the lady who looked after him and the knight that she had special feelings for. Then one day an answer seemed to appear."
Gabriel could hear noise in the entrance to the hall. There was a slight shuffling of boots and some clicks from dog paws and he was joined by two other dogs. He knew that Sam and Dean were both listening to the story. He didn't give a sign that he knew they were there and neither did his Cat. She just kept telling the story, focusing on little Jess.
"It was a traveling salesman that claimed he had a means to find the youngest of the company. The problem was that he wasn't a very good man but had done some bad things that hurt people. The lady didn't want to deal with him even though in her heart she wanted more than anything to find the lost boy. The knights were conflicted as well. In the end, the knights went to hear the salesmen out.
"The knights knew the salesman was up to no good and thought that they had it under control. They had met more of this salesman before and knew that they could be betrayed at any moment. So they went on a quest to retrieve something valuable to the salesman. It was there that they found out the truth behind the salesman's motives.
"It was betrayal of a sorts when one of the craftsmen that went with the knights said that they were not going to risk their lives. The knights though did what they always did. They helped the craftsman who had been lured in by the salesman. They did hand over the valuable artifact even though they thought it wasn't worth it for the way to find their lost boy. But they had one last trick up their sleeves."
Gabriel shuffled in his seat. He knew that Sam and Dean were listening to the story. He noticed that Sherlock had come in too. Normally he would be hiding behind the stacks and listening to any singing or storytelling and would be secretly amused by it or thoughtful. His Cat had everyone's attention and the thing was she hadn't even been on this job.
"The knights knew that the salesman had to be taken care of even though the craftsman was betraying the knights to save their own life. It was not their fault though because of the contract the salesman enacted. However, there was a way out and the knights provided that.
"The salesman thought things were going to be business as usual but the craftsman stung the salesman a final blow by destroying the item the knights had found. The salesman was defeated by betrayal. The craftsman was free but the knights lost the means of finding the lost boy. In being who he was, the salesman lost his life to betrayal but he was a betrayer himself. For the knights, being the protectors they were, they lost the means of finding their lost boy but in the process they saved someone else who had been betrayed and set them free."
Gabriel watched as Angela adjusted her seat as she held Jess. He rested his elbow on his knew and his chin on his hand as she finished, "You see Jess, everything has nature but that nature is influenced by what and who they are. And sometimes the actions we do are visited back on us but like the two brave knights, they managed to help the craftsman from a fate that was of their own doing and in the end it is better than what they started out for because there are better ways. They just have to find it."
Gabriel watched as Angela looked up and looked at Sam and Dean. In all the years he had known her, he had never seen the amount of understanding pass between his Cat and anyone she cared about as much as she was sending silently to the Winchesters. He had harbored some resentment against the Winchesters for making her cry and hurting her when they did. It was a thing all humans did. It was in their nature to hurt each other in the various ways they did. But they did try as he told Lucifer. They tried to do better. Here in her version of the Frog and the Scorpion, she was saying that they can try again and better and maybe they will find Jack.
A/N: Gabriel listens to the story of an old time fable while they are trying to find Jack. Tag to The Frog and the Scorpion. Enjoy.
